Coming off a strong freshman season at New Haven University, former East Islip star pitcher David Palmer is ready to take the next step and lead the Chargers to the NE-10 championship.
The 6’5″ hurler threw 42.1 IP and compiled a 6:1 K/BB ratio over eight starts. He and fellow Long Island native, Vincent Aprea, both held their own as freshman starting pitchers in an uber-competitive environment.
With that valuable learning experience now under his belt, he is ready to step up next year.
I had the chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say…
Do you come from an athletic family?
I do. All my siblings play sports and my parents come from an athletic background. I also am cousins with Ryan Steffans from Commack. Pitching runs in our family.
You had a very decorated HS career at East Islip and went All State in your senior season–do you miss it at all?
I miss everything about it. From Coach Ciampi to all my teammates that I had the pleasure of playing with for 5 years. They all prepared me for what I have upcoming these next couple years. Playing college baseball showed me how much I really do love baseball and I wouldn’t have gotten here without the people from EI
Did you keep an eye on how East Islip did this season and follow their run through the playoffs? You will now be facing former teammate Mike Demarest a few times per season, are you looking forward to that?
I did constantly keep up with the team this past spring. I threw a live bullpen to them over easter to get them ready to take on Hills West. My brother will also have an opportunity to be on the roster this year so that will keep me in the loop for the upcoming years. Mike and I are really good friends going back to little league when we would face each other. We’re no strangers to being on opposing teams as well as the same team. So I am looking very forward to competing against him.
You were able to hold your own as a freshman in a tough conference. How would you evaluate your performance?
Personally I’m never completely content with my performances. I had a couple rough outings but really learned from them and learned from the better outings as well. I would say overall it was a good season for the role I was given but it could have been better.
Who are some athletes you look up to?
I look up to athletes like Marcus Stroman, Justin Verlander and Mike Trout. Who show that if you work hard enough you can make anything possible. They are a great inspiration.
What are your goals for 2016?
I want nothing more than to help lead my team to a conference championship and beyond. We have a great team with experience and everyone works hard with the same
Goal. I just want to all I can to help.
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